System and device for monitoring and assisting human gross motor skills

ABSTRACT

A system includes a lift chair having sensors embedded therein to determine various factors such as the amount of pressure exerted in various portions of the chair, the activity level of the chair user, whether the chair is occupied and which user is currently occupying the chair, and how much assistance the chair provides the user. The information detected by the sensors can be transmitted via the Internet, for example, to a third party device, such as a doctor&#39;s personal computer, which is also hooked up to the internet and is capable of receiving periodic updates to monitor use of the chair or modify the rules that govern the use of the chair. The user can override the pre-set rules for use of the chair by using an override button on a user control device.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/478,526 filed Jun. 30, 2006, the contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention relate to a system and device formonitoring assisting human gross motor skills. More particularly, theembodiments of the invention relate to a lift chair with sensors whichcan communicate information to allow monitoring of the use of the liftchair.

BACKGROUND

Power operated lift recliner chairs are commonly used by persons needingassistance in transferring from a seated position to a standingposition. Such chairs include a power operated lift mechanism whichraises the chair and tilts it forwardly to bring its occupant to astanding position and in reverse lowers the occupant from a standing toa seated position. These chairs are expensive and are commonly madeaffordable through insurance, requiring a doctor's prescription.However, doctors are hesitant to prescribe lift chairs because they fearthat the patient will rely too heavily on the chair to stand, leading toaccelerated atrophy of major muscle groups.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of the lift recliner incorporatingthe sensor system of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows an overall system according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart which shows the chair according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 4 shows an overall system according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to an embodiment of the invention, a system includes a liftchair, a plurality of sensors embedded in the lift chair, a third partydevice and a communication device for communicating information from theplurality of sensors to the third party device. According to anembodiment of the invention, the communication device is a two-waycommunication device. The system may further include a user controldevice for controlling operation of the lift chair. Further, thecontroller may control operation of the lift chair based on a set ofassistance rules stored therein. The user control device may include anoverride button to override the stored assistance rules to controloperation of the chair. Further, the third party device may transmitassistance rules to the controller via the communication device. Theplurality of sensors may include, but are not limited to, activity andpresence sensors, pressure sensors and angle sensors. A notificationdevice may be attached to the chair to receive information from thecontroller regarding operation of the chair and relaying the informationto a user of the chair. The plurality of sensors may detect informationincluding at least one of a user's interaction with the chair, how muchforce the user sits down with, how much the user pushed off arm rests ofthe chair, how long the user remains seated in the chair, how far thechair is reclined, how far the chair is raised and lowered, and an angleof a foot rest of the chair. According to a further embodiment, thethird party may transmit a new set of assistance rules based on theinformation detected by the sensors.

According to yet a further embodiment the controller determines which ofa plurality of previously registered users is occupying the chair basedon information detected from the sensors, and controls operation of thechair based on a pre-determined set of assistance rules stored for eachrespective user.

FIG. 1 shows an automatic lift chair according to an embodiment of theinvention. The lift chair and its operation described below isconventional and those in the industry are very familiar with thedetailed construction and operation of such chairs. According to theinvention, an automatic lift chair according to an embodiment of theinvention comprises a microprocessor, an internal clock like that in allmodern PCs, a communication device, a storage device such as a harddrive, flash memory, etc for storing assistance rules and data from thesensors, an override input, a feedback device, such as a screen, audiblealerts, or any other way known to notify the user, and a plurality ofsensors to detect the position of the chair, to detect if the user issleeping, awake, etc., as will be explained herein in detail.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an automatic lift chair 2 whichrests on a base 4 and includes a mechanism, such as a lift motor (notillustrated) for raising and lowering the chair. A user of the chair cancontrol the various functions of the chair, such as raising the legrest, changing the angle of the back, raising and lowering the chair,etc., through a user control device 6, which may include an overridebutton 8 which allows the user to override previously programmedprotocol for use of the chair in an emergency, for example.

The chair 2 may include multiple sensors, including but not limited to,activity and presence sensor 10 and pressure sensors 12 located in, forexample, the back of the chair, the seat of the chair and each arm rest.The chair may also include various angle sensors 14 to determine theangle of the chair itself (i.e., how high the chair is raised), theangle of the leg rest 16, the angle of the back of the chair, and othersuch angles which are indicative of how the chair is being utilized.

The chair could also include a notification device, such as a speaker,an alarm or a screen embedded in or attachable to one of the arm rests,for example, so that the user can receive information or be alerted to aproblem with their use of the chair. According to one embodiment of theinvention, the screen could be an LCD screen 7 incorporated in one ofthe arm rests. Other types of screens could be used to notify the userof important information relating to the use of the chair, or otherinformation which may be desired by the user.

The activity and presence sensor 10 can be located anywhere in the chairsufficient to determined whether the chair is occupied and the extent towhich the person is moving to aid in determining whether the user isawake, asleep, etc.

The pressure sensors 12 are designed to detect the force with which theperson sits down, or possibly, which of a plurality of preset users areoccupying the chair at a particular time. The angle sensors 14 candetect how far the chair is raised and lowered, the angle of the footrest (i.e., whether it is fully up, partially up, down, etc.).

Embedded within the chair may be a microcontroller 18 which controls thefunctioning of the chair and enables information about the usage of thechair and information from the various sensors to be calculated, storedand transmitted via a transmission device, either embedded in the chair(not shown) or separately connectable to the chair, to a third party viathe Internet. The features enabled by the microcontroller 18 couldinclude, but are not limited to, restricting how high a person can raisethe chair or automatically raising the chair when it is determined theperson should get up due to a pre-scheduled event or emergency. Thetransmission device may be a wireless communication device whichconnects the chair to the Internet, either directly or through aseparate hub, allowing doctors, family, or external service providers tomonitor the use of the chair and set parameters on how much help thechair will provide the user.

FIG. 2 illustrates the overall system according to an embodiment of theinvention. As seen in FIG. 2, the information from the sensors 10, 12and 14, information from the user control device 6 are input to themicrocontroller 18. The microcontroller, in turn, can control the liftmotor(s) 11 to operate the chair. At set-up, a starting set ofparameters, or assistance rules, may be programmed in by a remote device20, which can be a caregiver such as a doctor, to control how muchassistance the chair will provide. The starting set of assistance rulescan either be pre-loaded or sent to the microcontroller 18 from the careprovider 20 via the Internet 22. The chair may be pre-loaded with astandard set of default parameters. The chair could operate in responseto the user input through the user control device, but at the same timeit could behave according to the assistance rules set by the careprovider 20 or pre-set in the microcontroller 18 (the rules are storedin the chair's storage device). For example, when the user wants tostand up, the user could activate the lift control like a normal liftchair. However, the chair would stop lifting the user at the positiondefined by the rules. If the user needed additional assistance, theycould use the override button to get the assistance they need. In casesof emergency, such as weakness, the user could still get the assistancethey need, but in general, the user would get the exercise they need.Records of how many times they used the override feature could be storedand could be reviewed remotely by the care provider. In addition,general records of the chair's usage and information from the varioussensors could be stored.

The sensors on the chair can record the user's interaction with thechair—how much force did they sit down with, how much they pushed off onthe arm-rests to stand, how long are they staying seated for, how farare they reclining, etc. The chair could also be programmed to stimulateuser movement, such as altering the angle of recline periodically, orforcing them to stand for a certain amount of time every few hours toencourage exercise and increase circulation. Any time the chair began anautomated activity it could notify the user via the feedback device, andthe user could stop the activity with the override button. The chair canbe programmed so that it does begin automated activities if the userisn't in the chair as detected by the activity and presence sensor, andcould be programmed not to start if the user is sleeping, as determinedby the sensor. In addition, in a household where more than one usertypically uses the chair, the pressure sensors could be used todetermine, based on the respective weights of the users, which user isoccupying the chair and apply rules designated for that particular user.

The chair preferably connects to the Internet 22 either through ancommunication device 24 on board the chair, such as a device to connectto an existing home network, to the Internet through a cell-phonenetwork connection, or to the Internet through a wireless network. Thecommunication device may be embedded in the chair or connected to thechair in a way commonly known in the art. The information from themicrocontroller 18 may be sent to the care provider 20 via thecommunication device 24 over the Internet 22. The care provider 20 canconnect via the Internet 22 to the chair in a variety of known ways.Information can be shared both ways between the chair and the careprovider.

Periodically, the care giver could either remotely or locally reviewusage data and alter the assistance rules stored on the chair to takeinto account the changing condition of the patient.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart which shows the operation of a system according toan embodiment of the invention. At 30, the care giver/external serviceprovider sets up the chair with an initial set of assistance rules thatcontrols how much aid the chair will provide. At 31, the patient/useruses the chair. At 32, the various sensors embedded in the chair recorddata about how much aid the patient needs, the force with which thepatient sits, and how long the patient is seated. At 33, the data (usagedata) is uploaded automatically through a home network, for example, tothe caregiver. At 34, the data is downloaded automatically from thecaregiver onto the home network and sent to the chair adjusting how thechair performs. At 35, the expert reviews the usage data and adjusts thechairs behavior/assistance rules to improve the patient's gross motorskills and reviews the usage data for signs of physical deterioration orother such problems.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the chair according to an embodiment of theinvention. As seen in FIG. 4, the chair 2 stores assistance rules 13 andusage data 2. An example of some assistance rules includes, “Don't liftmore than 45° unless emergency button pressed,” “Try to get user tostand up every 2 hours,” and “Try to get user to stand up with help onlyto 35° 3 times daily.” An example of the usage data stores is, “User satdown with high force at 3 pm, Sunday,” “User Reclined to 5° at 3:01 pm,Sunday,” “User lifted to 45° at 4:40 pm, Sunday,” “User pressedEmergency Button at 4:41 pm, Sunday” and “User lifted to 75° at 4:40 pm,Sunday.”

The control device 6 includes an override button 8 and lift controls 9,which control the operation of the chair. The sensors 10, 12 and 14communicate information to the microcontroller 18. The information fromthe control device is also output to the microcontroller 18. A systemclock 19 is also embodied in the chair to keep track of events, such asrecorded in the usage data. The microcontroller 18 controls the liftmotors 11 and transmits information over the communication device,preferably to a third party device, such as the caregiver/doctor.

All the lift chairs on the market do not have any means of collecting orproviding feedback on how much aide the patient needs, nor do they haveany method for controlling how much aid they provide the patient. Theembodiments of this invention allows the patient's condition to bemonitored and parameters to be set to ensure the patient gets thecorrect amount of aid.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

1. A lift chair comprising: a plurality of sensors arranged in a usercontacting surface of the lift chair and configured to detect a presenceof a user in the lift chair; a controller configured to controloperation of the lift chair; and a storage device configured to storeinformation detected from the sensors, wherein the lift chair includesprogramming configured to stimulate movement of the user by selectivelyactuating the lift chair to raise and/or lower the user seated in thelift chair in accordance with a predetermined set of instructions basedupon the detected presence and respective needs of the user.
 2. The liftchair of claim 1, wherein stimulating user movement comprises alteringan angle of recline of the lift chair periodically or forcing standingof the user for a certain amount of time.
 3. The lift chair of claim 2,wherein altering the angle of recline periodically or forcing standingof the user for a certain amount of time encourages exercise and/orincreases circulation of the user.
 4. The lift chair of claim 2, whereinthe lift chair is programmed to notify the user when the lift chairbegins altering the angle or forcing standing.
 5. The lift chair ofclaim 1, further comprising a feedback device and an override button. 6.The lift chair of claim 5, further comprising a user control deviceadapted to control operation of the lift chair based on a set ofassistance rules stored by the controller, and the override button isconfigured to stop an activity of the lift chair.
 7. The lift chair ofclaim 1, wherein the lift chair is programmed not to start stimulatinguser movement if the sensors detect that the user is sleeping.
 8. Thelift chair of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are adapted todetermine which of a plurality of previously registered users isoccupying the lift chair based on information detected from the sensors.9. A system comprising: a lift chair; a plurality of sensors arranged ina user contacting surface of the lift chair and configured to detect apresence of a user in the lift chair; a controller configured to controloperation of the lift chair based on a set of assistance rules stored bythe controller; and a communication device configured to communicateinformation from the plurality of sensors to a remote device, whereinthe lift chair includes programming configured to stimulate movement ofthe user by selectively actuating the lift chair to raise and/or lowerthe user seated in the lift chair in accordance with a predetermined setof instructions based upon the detected presence and respective needs ofthe user.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication device isa two-way communication device.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein theremote device is capable of transmitting assistance rules to thecontroller via the communication device.
 12. The system of claim 9,wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one of activity andpresence sensors, pressure sensors and angle sensors.
 13. The system ofclaim 9, further comprising a user control device adapted to controloperation of the lift chair, wherein the user control device includes anoverride button configured to override the assistance rules.
 14. Thesystem of claim 9, further comprising a notification device attached tothe lift chair, wherein the notification device is configured to receiveinformation from the controller regarding operation of the lift chairand to relay the information to the user of the lift chair.
 15. A methodcomprising: providing a lift chair comprising a plurality of sensors, acontroller, and a communications device, the controller includingprogramming to stimulate a movement of a user, wherein the plurality ofsensors are arranged in a user contacting surface of the lift chair andconfigured to detect a presence of the user in the lift chair; andstimulating a movement of the user by selectively actuating the liftchair to raise and/or lower the user seated in the lift chair inaccordance with a predetermined set of instructions based upon thedetected presence and respective needs of the user.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the stimulating a movement comprises altering theangle of recline periodically or forcing standing of the user for acertain amount of time.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingnotifying the user when the lift chair begins altering the angle orforcing standing.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprisingstopping the lift chair with an override button.
 19. The method of claim15, wherein the exercise increases circulation of the user.
 20. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising detecting if the user issleeping.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising not stimulatingthe user if the user is sleeping.
 22. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising determining which of a plurality of previously registeredusers is occupying the lift chair based on information detected from thesensors.
 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising controlling howmuch assistance the lift chair should provide to said each of theplurality of previously registered user.
 24. The method of claim 15,further comprising transmitting assistance rules to govern operation ofthe lift chair to the communication device of the lift chair from aremote device.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the assistance rulesare transmitted via the Internet.
 26. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising determining an activity level of the user of the lift chair.27. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting informationfrom the lift chair to a health care provider.
 28. The system of claim9, wherein the remote device is located apart from the lift chair.